NATO next week will kick off the alliance’s largest war games since the Cold War era, as an estimated 90,000 troops from all NATO countries and Sweden, which still awaits final approval for its membership bid, are expected to take part in “Exercise Steadfast Defender 2024.”

The war games are set to run through May. The monthslong maneuvers are taking place amid soaring tensions with Russia over the ongoing war in Ukraine.

“The alliance will demonstrate its ability to reinforce the Euro-Atlantic area via trans-Atlantic movement of forces from North America,” Army Gen. Chris Cavoli, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, said Thursday at NATO headquarters in Brussels. “This reinforcement will occur during a simulated emerging conflict scenario against a near-peer adversary.”

More than 50 ships, including aircraft carriers, also will take part in the exercise along with almost 100 military aircraft, NATO officials said. 

On Wednesday, NATO members were briefed by Ukraine’s military representative to the alliance about the state of the fighting. While Russia’s most recent attacks have been devastating to civilians, they have not been “militarily effective,” according to Admiral Rob Bauer of the Royal Netherlands Navy, who is serving as chair of the NATO Military Committee

“We see substantial military successes on the Ukrainian side,” the admiral said. “While the world may have been overly optimistic in 2023, it’s important that in 2024 don’t become overly pessimistic. Today is the 694th day of what Russia thought would be a three-day war.”

• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.